First Day of School!!!!!

Carter is ready for his first day!

Carter was SOOOO excited to start Kindergarden! He was ready to go with his new Toy Story 3 backpack! Carter LOVED going to school, he adores his new friends, and he is doing wonderfully with his new teacher! It was SO hard to see him go! But we are THRILLED he is doing so well! WE LOVE YOU, CARTER!!!!

Carter is thrilled!

And then there were... SIX!

Carter and Harrison pose at Old Navy!

We moved to Reno on September 12th. It took only 2 hours to load the truck, and 1 hour to clean our old apartment, and then we were done! Well... almost done. Kurt was made to work that day, so the kids and I went to the University of Utah Marriott and went swimming! Kurt joined us after work and we all spent our last night in Utah comfortably! **I managed to get some back to school shopping done too!

Carter got to ride in the truck!

Reno is great! The kids LOVE being here! We moved all of our things into the garage and it took about 5 days to unpack, but we did it! The kids' room is super cute! Sean loves having his "brothers" here with him, and all the boys enjoy being together! Carter and Sean go to the local elementary school together, and they are both doing really well! HOORAY!

Sean, Harrison, and Carter play in the backyard!

A day with Harrison

Kurt and I decided to give the kids Daddy and Mommy dates. Each of us took a child and spent the day with him. It was so much fun! Carter stayed home with Kurt and they rearranged furniture, packed, and got ready for the big move! Harrison and I ran errands.

Harrison plays with a car at Big O Tires. Harrison LOVED that this Big O Tires had "Scripture Power" (note the Book of Mormon under the table! YEAH!)

One of the stops I made with Harrison was to Big O Tires. He was so well behaved that the employees gave him a balloon. Harrison, of course, insisted that Buzz Lightyear would rather hold the balloon, so the employees tied the balloon to Buzz's hand! LOL!

Harrison checks to make sure Buzz's balloon is still in his hand.

Harrison and I returned books to the Sprague Library and then went to Barnes and Noble to pick up a few new books of our own. We bought 3 Elephant and Piggie books and one Toy Story 2 book. The trip wouldn't be complete without a stop at the Barnes and Noble Starbucks, where Harrison enjoyed a Vanilla Bean Frapuccino!

Harrison ADORES Starbucks! (Coffee-free OF COURSE!)

The next day Kurt and I swapped kids and did the same thing again. This time Harrison stayed and packed with Dad and Carter ran errands with me! Carter and I picked up lunch and went to Home Depot for some paint... we needed to paint a few of the walls that the kids had colored! BOO! When we got home Carter helped Dad pack some more and Harrison painted with me. Good times!

Harrison paints with Mom!

At the end of the day 95% of the house was packed and ready to go, and the kids wanted to show off their empty closet. Well.... it is empty except for a few more empty boxes! The boys are SO excited to move and cant wait to start new adventures in Nevada! YAY!

Carter and Harrison show off their empty closet. My kids are TOO CUTE! I love their little faces!

"The ABCs of Numbers..."

Today was our final Sunday in the 21st Ward. It was bittersweet and memorable. Some of the harder moments were saying goodbye to our closest friends, hearing some of our favorite teachers gives (for us) their last lessons, and hearing some of the inspiring and thought provoking comments from our beloved friends and neighbors. Some of the best moments were when the boys happily walked to Primary and sat with their classes- they were THRILLED to be there and they didn't fuss! (Well, they fussed a little, but it was over who they wanted to sit next to!) For so long when the boys would leave Primary and when asked what they had learned they would just giggle or shrug and say, "I donno..."... but today, Carter proudly rushed forward to exclaim, "Mama!!! Guess what?!?!? I learned the ABCs of numbers!!!!" I asked him what he meant, and he enthusiastically shot his hands forward to show me his take-homes. There was a piece of paper, a small handmade envelope, and an official tithe slip. Carter was SO excited about tithing! When asked how much he will tithe he smiled and answered "21!" ... confused I tried to correct (10?)... he laughed and responded, "I wanna do 21!" This started us talking about his mission, he explained that he wants to ride a helicopter to get to his mission... I don't know that they do that kind of thing, but okay! We talked the whole walk home, and both Harrison and Carter were thrilled to have been able to be in Primary today.
Carter and Harrison both show off their Primary take-homes!

I am so thankful for this Church! I am so thankful for Primary! I am so happy to know that my boys both feel the Spirit and can both happily tell anyone that they love their Church, they love their parents, and they love Jesus Christ! What more can ANY parent REALLY hope for??? For us... there is NOTHING better.

Carter's tithe slip and envelope... note his tthe Kit Kat stains from reat! LOL!

Harrison made this puzzle- he is VERY proud of the H in the bottom right corner! "H is for HARRISON!!!"

Baby!!!! ... (sitting!)

HA! Fooled you! Nope, no baby for us- well... we did have one for the afternoon! Today William and James came over to play- the boys had a BLAST!!!! Carter loved playing trains with William, and Harrison ADORED playing with "Baby James!" It was so cute! If Harrison heard James so much as whimper he would rush into the room and give me a suggestion. "Mommy! I pink da baby needs his bwanket!" or "Here, Baby James, have dis toy... no, no, Baby James, you cant have da twain- have da fishie!" He was so concerned about every little move that baby made! It was really cute =)

Harrison hugs a less-than-thrilled James

Harrison and Carter try and get James to play.

Carter took this picture of James and me - way to go, Carter!

LOL, Adventures!

This morning Kurt and I awoke to a lot of laughter... those who have had small children know this is always a dangerous thing to hear. So, Kurt got out of bed and opened their bedroom door to find that they (we say they, but Harrison took "credit") had taken a box of Trix Cereal, opened it, and thrown it ALL around their room. They had been dancing in the mess and their floor was a multi-colored mess!


Fun was over. Poor kids! Carter used the dustpan and bush and took care of the Trix that weren't broken. Harrison picked up all the toys and put them away (yeah, they had decided pulling all their toys into the mess would be fun too). It took an hour... a whole hour... but the boys did REALLY well and they worked hard to clean.


Boys will be boys... right? You know... I should have KNOWN they had diabolical plans after they went to sleep so easily last night! LOL.

Carter is ready for bed- this was taken last night =)

Harrison says GOODNIGHT!

Being home =p

My hot hubby shows off all the packing we got done so far!

I have been a homemaker before, but this time is different. I find myself being able to pace things better. I am able to sit back and let a few dishes pile up while I play with the boys. I am able to go outside and seek the company of creative and wonderful women who can give me tricks and tips to how to do things better. It is great!

Today the boys and I played outside. The boys played in wagons with all the kids in our little 900 Village Court while I made crafts with a few of our neighbor ladies. It was SO much fun! The boys had a great time, and so did I!

Right now Harrison is in bed, listening to Primary Songs for Bedtime and gazing at a postcard we got 2 years ago at Disneyland. He was so well behaved, and already he has been more secure! It used to be that if I ever went outside he would cling to me- he wanted hugs and was too scared to go play with other kids. Now he gives me big hugs and runs off to "pway wif fwiends!" I am so proud of him! He seems to love this new arrangement almost as much as I do!

At this time Carter is playing in the living room with some of his Thomas trains. He enjoys role playing different scenarios with them and helping them solve problems. Carter's changes in behavior are amazing. Just since I have been home he is so much for considerate, more loving, and a LOT more calm and happy- I am so thrilled that he loves having me home with him! (Of course, I am sure he will NOT love it when he is a teen and just wants to be alone with his buddies! LOL)

Things are so much different, but in so many amazing ways. Kurt came home last night to a clean house (well, if you imagine the boxes aren't there!) and a happy wife and it makes all the difference! Its funny how following simple principles really does make for a happier family and home. I am so happy that we are able to be together and that I am able to stay with my little munchkins- they are such a joy!